The CEO of a Vancouver-based outdoor recreation gear retailer has decided to step down.

Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) announced in a November 6 news release that David Labistour will end his time in the position of CEO, effective June 2019, after 11 years in the position.

Labistour began at the cooperative, which was established in 1971, as a senior manager of buying and design in 2003. When he became CEO in January 2008, he was the first CEO who was hired from within the company.

During his tenure, the number of MEC members grew from 2.7 to 5.1 million and MEC opened 11 new retail locations.

A sucessor is yet to be chosen by the company's board of directors, but Labistour will assist in the transition.

In the MEC news release, board of directors chair Ellen Pekeles noted Labistour's emphasis on sustainability, including helping to found the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and signing the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge to increase representation of diversity in the outdoors industry.

Labistour, also on the Outdoor Foundation Board and the Outdoor Industry Association Board, stated in the news release that he will take time off to decide what he will do next.